Firm Management
Brian Tankersley
Brian Tankersley is a technology contributor for CPA Practice Advisor, and is a frequent speaker at national continuing education courses on auditing and technology, as well as a consultant, coach and instructor for K2 Enterprises.
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Firm Management
2014 Review of Document Storage and Document Management Systems
The last 18 months have been a period of significant change for the document management systems of many accounting professionals and their firms.
Accounting
2014 Review of Small Business Accounting Systems
Selecting a small business accounting package is, in some ways, like purchasing a piece of home exercise equipment. The solution needs to meet your needs, be easy to use, should fit within your budget, and should be pleasant enough to use that the client will actually keep their books after the first week or two.
2014 Review of CFS Sales Tax Software
Sales Tax
2014 Review of Sales Tax Systems for Small Businesses
Sales and use tax is a key source of government funding in most states. Unlike property tax and state income tax, however, the legislators and regulators have adopted a patchwork of different rules which affect the taxability of the items. In addition to dealing with statewide tax rates in 45 states, 38 states levy sales taxes based on the borders of cities, counties, and special districts.
Sales Tax
2014 Review of Bloomberg BNA Sales and Use Tax Forms and Rates
In addition to its publishing products, Bloomberg BNA offers two software tools which are designed to help companies and practitioners stay up to date on tax rates and prepare accurate forms.
Automation
2014 Review of CCH Sales Tax Returns Online and Sales Tax SaaS PLUS
CCH’s sales tax compliance applications are priced based on a range of factors, including the number of entities, the number of returns, and the features purchased. Specific pricing is available upon request.
2014 Review of Avalara Sales Tax Systems
Avalara is a company that specializes in creating end-to-end solutions for helping organizations of all sizes comply with transaction-based taxes like sales and use tax, value added tax (VAT), and Canada’s GST/HST in over 100 countries, including thousands of state and local special tax districts within these countries.
Accounting
2014 Review of Kashoo
Accounting
FreshBooks and SageOne Help Business Owners Collaborate with Customers and Subcontractors
Our review of SaaS accounting solutions has focused on tools to help manage a general ledger and create financial reports, but many self-employed individuals and micro-businesses need a more basic day-to-day solution to help them bill customers, track receivables, and manage projects. While many applications can meet the needs of this segment, including the lower tier versions of QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Kashoo, two popular applications which are designed for non-accountants who need to accumulate transaction data are FreshBooks and Sage One.
Small Business
Tools for Helping Shoebox Clients Get Organized
These applications are low cost or free, and are supported with in-application ads and other special offers provided based on the user’s personal profile. Since they are stored online, the data can be shared with outside advisors, including the individual’s accounting firm.
Accounting
2014 Review of Xero
Xero is a micro-business SaaS accounting platform which is well established in Australia and New Zealand, and was launched in the U.S. in 2012. The company has made significant investments in personnel to compete with other small business accounting software providers in the U.S. market, and has hired a long list of industry veterans to manage its U.S. operations, including Peter Karpas (U.S. CEO), Jamie Sutherland (U.S. President), Ian Vaicin (U.S. VP- Marketing and Product) and many more.